When Clara comes back to her hometown after years away, she expects little more than a short family visit and a sharp reminder of why she left. What she doesn’t expect is the lantern still burning at the old gate next door the same lantern her childhood friend Ethan once swore he’d keep lit.

Ethan never left. While Clara built her life far from lantern-lit streets, he stayed on the family farm, rooted in the soil and holding on to quiet traditions and the hope that she might return. When their paths cross again under autumn skies and festival lights, the pull between them feels harder to ignore.

Clara battles the old whispers that she doesn’t belong, afraid that staying might cost her freedom. Ethan wrestles with patience and the need to show her that home isn’t just a place it’s the people who keep the light waiting for you.

As Halloween deepens, friendship turns into something tender, something harder to walk away from. But will Clara stop running long enough to imagine a future with him, or will the flame between them die before it ever takes hold?

The Lantern by the Gate is a nostalgic small-town romance full of pumpkin festivals, autumn nights, and love that glows where you least expect it.

***

Step into this story, then discover how Pumpkin Kisses weaves more tales of love under Halloween skies.

Every Halloween, the veil between worlds thins and one mortal woman is named the Harvest Bride.

Beneath lantern glow and drifting autumn leaves, Pumpkin Kisses gathers five sweet standalone romances touched by Halloween’s magic. From quiet pumpkin patches to glittering masquerade halls, from hand-written letters to the hush of candlelit windows, each story holds onto the warmth of love even as the night deepens.

These are tales of soft surprises, tender bonds, and the quiet bravery of opening your heart when shadows press close. Gentle, heartwarming, and made for anyone who loves the romance of fall’s most enchanted night.

Will you let the season’s magic write its way into your heart?

Small Town & Rural